In this month’s edition, we’re turning our focus to Guatemala, where we’ve been building partnerships for many years in order to source great coffees for our customers. In addition, we have some exciting updates about what’s been going on at our farms and mills in Costa Rica.
Picking coffee in Huehuetenango
Producers in San Martin tending their compost, a key input for organic farming
Spotlight on Guatemala
Some of our favorite coffees come from Guatemala, where we work in partnership with a range of farmers, mills, and exporters to source a wide variety of coffees from across the country’s many growing regions. From versatile regional lots to certified coffees to single-variety microlots, there’s a coffee from Guatemala to fit the needs of every roaster.
This year, shipping delays have been common in Guatemala due to container shortages and routing issues, but the new crop has started to arrive and we’re excited to share it with you.
Right now, we have two smallholder-produced regional options available on the west coast: La Flor del Cafe (Antigua) and Candelaria Select (Huehuetenango). On the east coast, there’s more La Flor del Cafe on the way and — with just a few bags remaining — a fantastic Villa Sarchi microlot from Finca la Bella has just arrived.
These coffees are likely to go quick, so contact your salesperson for pricing and samples if you have Guatemala needs for the new crop.
This Month in Costa Rica
In addition to the coffee from our own farms, our mills also process coffee from many small farms in the surrounding areas. These small producers are essential partners in our work, and we offer resources and support in their efforts to improve the quality, sustainability, and profitability of their farms.
We recently hosted a Día del Productor (Producer’s Day) at each of our mills in Costa Rica — Beneficio Río Tarrazú in Los Santos and Beneficio Río Negro in Coto Brus — with the goal of bringing our community of producer partners together for a day of education and fun.
The first half of each day was dedicated to field activities. We traveled through three stations and provided training on proper fertilization applications and techniques to sustain tree health. We held a session on calculating and improving costs of production followed by training on agricultural processes like renovation, pruning, weed control and how best to defend the coffee fields from fungus and Coffee Leaf Rust.
In the afternoon, representatives of our quality control team served coffee samples and we organized mill tours and talks from experts at Icafe, the Costa Rican Institute of Coffee. In addition to the educational events, we also provided food and live music. In total, we had over 300 producers in attendance, and it was great to see so many of our partners gathered in one place!
Recent Arrivals
GUATEMALA, FINCA LA BELLA VILLA SARCHI
Operated by Juan de la Cerda, Finca La Bella is well known for its quality, producing excellent washed coffees year after year. This selection is 100% Villa Sarchi, a Costa Rican variety seldom found in other countries.
Availability: CTI NJ
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Blackberry, black tea, prune
GUATEMALA, LA FLOR DEL CAFE
La Flor del Cafe is a classic Antigua coffee, produced by small farmers and processed at the Pastores mill. This coffee has a lively acidity, a heavy body, and a wonderful sweetness that makes it a real crowd-pleaser.
Availability: Annex CA
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Cocoa, caramel, citrus
That’s all for this month’s edition. Thanks for reading, and as always, if there’s anything we can do for you, reach out to your salesperson or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you. See you next month!